Display apparatus

ABSTRACT

A display apparatus including a substrate having an active area and a sealing area surrounding the active area; a display unit disposed on the active area of the substrate and including a plurality of organic light-emitting devices; and a sealing member including a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, the third portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion and connecting the first portion to the second portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/916,558, filed Mar. 9, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/421,608, filed on Feb. 1, 2017, now issued asU.S. Pat. No. 9,917,275, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/012,391, filed on Feb. 1, 2016, now issued asU.S. Pat. No. 9,595,690, and claims priority from and the benefit ofKorean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0103011, filed on Jul. 21, 2015,all of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as iffully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND Field

Exemplary embodiments relate to a display apparatus.

Discussion of the Background

The market for display apparatuses, which may include media that allowusers to communicate with each other and access information, hasexpanded with the development of information technology. Various kindsof display apparatuses have been developed, and organic light-emittingdisplay (OLED) apparatuses have particularly attracted attention due totheir good performance, small thickness, light weight, and low powerconsumption.

An organic light-emitting display apparatus may include pixels andOLEDs. The degree of light emission of each OLED may be controlled by athin-film transistor (TFT). Such OLEDs may include a pixel electrodeelectrically connected to a TFT, a counter electrode facing the pixelelectrode, and an intermediate layer between the pixel electrode and thecounter electrode and including an organic emission layer.

One of the methods for forming the organic emission layer included inthe intermediate layer may include a deposition method using a mask.That is, organic materials evaporated from vapor deposition sources maypass through openings in the mask to be deposited on a substrate,thereby forming the organic emission layer. Therefore, in order for theorganic materials to be deposited at the proper position in thedeposition process, it is very important to precisely position the maskwith regard to the substrate.

The above information disclosed in this Background section is only forenhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept,and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the priorart that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skillin the art.

SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments provide an organic light-emitting displayapparatus that may secure a precise mask position with regard to asubstrate.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the disclosure, or may belearned by practice of the inventive concept.

An exemplary embodiment discloses a display apparatus including asubstrate having an active area and a sealing area surrounding theactive area; a display unit disposed on the active area of thesubstrate; a sealing member having a recess formed in the sealing areaof the substrate and being concave in a direction from an edge of thesubstrate to the active area of the substrate or from the active area ofthe substrate to the edge of the substrate; and an alignment markdisposed between the recess and the edge of the substrate or between therecess and the active area of the substrate.

The foregoing general description and the following detailed descriptionare exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the inventive concept, and are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplaryembodiments of the inventive concept, and, together with thedescription, serve to explain principles of the inventive concept.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a substrate for a displayapparatus, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a pixel on a substrateshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic enlarged view of region A illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of a display apparatusaccording to another exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of a display apparatusaccording to still another exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of a display apparatusaccording to still another exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of a display apparatusaccording to still another exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of a display apparatusaccording to still another exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of various exemplary embodiments. It is apparent, however,that various exemplary embodiments may be practiced without thesespecific details or with one or more equivalent arrangements. In otherinstances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagramform in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring various exemplaryembodiments.

In the accompanying figures, the size and relative sizes of layers,films, panels, regions, etc., may be exaggerated for clarity anddescriptive purposes. Also, like reference numerals denote likeelements.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,”or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on,connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer or interveningelements or layers may be present. When, however, an element or layer isreferred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,” or“directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are no interveningelements or layers present. For the purposes of this disclosure, “atleast one of X, Y, and Z” and “at least one selected from the groupconsisting of X, Y, and Z” may be construed as X only, Y only, Z only,or any combination of two or more of X, Y, and Z, such as, for instance,XYZ, XYY, YZ, and ZZ. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Asused herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of oneor more of the associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describevarious elements, components, regions, layers, and/or sections, theseelements, components, regions, layers, and/or sections should not belimited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element,component, region, layer, and/or section from another element,component, region, layer, and/or section. Thus, a first element,component, region, layer, and/or section discussed below could be termeda second element, component, region, layer, and/or section withoutdeparting from the teachings of the present disclosure.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,”“upper,” and the like, may be used herein for descriptive purposes, and,thereby, to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the drawings. Spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of anapparatus in use, operation, and/or manufacture in addition to theorientation depicted in the drawings. For example, if the apparatus inthe drawings is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath”other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the otherelements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompassboth an orientation of above and below. Furthermore, the apparatus maybe otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at otherorientations), and, as such, the spatially relative descriptors usedherein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms, “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Moreover,the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,”when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/orgroups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one ormore other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof.

Various exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference tosectional illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealizedexemplary embodiments and/or intermediate structures. As such,variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, forexample, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to beexpected. Thus, exemplary embodiments disclosed herein should not beconstrued as limited to the particular illustrated shapes of regions,but are to include deviations in shapes that result from, for instance,manufacturing. The regions illustrated in the drawings are schematic innature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shapeof a region of a device and are not intended to be limiting.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure is a part. Terms,such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should beinterpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning inthe context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in anidealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a substrate for a displayapparatus 1000, according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, the display apparatus 1000 may include a substrate100, a display unit 200, and an alignment mark 300.

The substrate 100 may include an active area AA and a sealing area SA.

The active area AA is an area in which an image is displayed to theoutside of the display apparatus 1000, and the sealing area SA is anarea in which an image is not displayed and which may surround theactive area AA.

The alignment mark 300 may be disposed on at least one portion of thesealing area SA. That is, the alignment mark 300 may be disposed on thesealing area SA, or may be disposed over the sealing area SA and outsidethe sealing area SA.

The display unit 200 may be disposed on the active area AA. The displayunit 200 may include one or more thin film transistors (TFTs) anddisplay devices electrically connected to the TFTs. The display devicesmay be one or more suitable display devices according to the type of thedisplay apparatus 1000. However, hereinafter the use of organiclight-emitting devices (OLEDs) will be described.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a pixel on the substrate100 shown in FIG. 1.

The substrate 100 may include various materials, e.g., a glass material,a metal material, or a plastic material. When the display apparatus 1000is a bottom emission-type display apparatus, in which an image isdisplayed to the direction of the substrate 100, the substrate 100 mayinclude a transparent material. On the other hand, when the displayapparatus 1000 is a top emission-type display apparatus, in which animage is displayed away from the substrate 100, the substrate 100 maynot necessarily include a transparent material.

A buffer layer 212 may be formed on the substrate 100. The buffer layer212 may prevent impure elements from permeating the substrate 100, mayprovide a flat surface on the substrate 100, and may include variousmaterials capable of performing such functions. For example, the bufferlayer 212 may include inorganic materials, such as silicon oxide(SiO_(x)), silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), and silicon oxynitride(SiO_(x)N_(y)).

An active layer 221 may be formed on the buffer layer 212 of aninorganic semiconductor material, such as silicon, or an organicsemiconductor material. The active layer 221 may include a source area,a drain area, and a channel area between the source area and drain area.For example, when the active layer 221 is formed of amorphous silicon,the active layer 221 including the source area, the drain area, and thechannel area between the source area and drain area may be formed byforming and crystallizing an amorphous silicon layer on an entiresurface of the substrate 100, forming a polycrystalline silicon layer,patterning the polycrystalline silicon layer, and respectively doping asource area and a drain area at respective edges of the polycrystallinesilicon layer with impurities.

A gate insulating film 213 may be formed on the active layer 221. Thegate insulating film 213 may be used to insulate the active layer 221from a gate electrode 222. The gate insulating film 213 may include aninorganic material, such as SiN_(x), SiO₂, etc.

The gate electrode 222 may be formed on the gate insulating film 213.The gate electrode 222 may be connected to a gate line (not shown)transmitting on/off signals of the TFT.

The gate electrode 222 may contain gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu),nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), aluminum (Al), andmolybdenum (Mo), and may include an alloy, such as an Al:Nd alloy, anMo:W alloy, etc., but is not limited thereto. The gate electrode 222 mayinclude various materials by taking into account various designconsiderations.

An interlayer insulating film 214, formed on the gate electrode 222, maybe used to insulate the gate electrode 222, a source electrode 223, anda drain electrode 224 from one another. The interlayer insulating film214 may include an inorganic material such as SiN_(x), SiO₂, etc.

The source electrode 223 and the drain electrode 224 may be formed onthe interlayer insulating film 214. In more detail, the interlayerinsulating film 214 and the gate insulating film 213 may expose parts ofthe source area and the drain area of the active layer 221, and thesource electrode 223 and the drain electrode 224 may respectivelycontact the exposed parts of the source area and the drain area of theactive layer 221.

Although a top gate-type TFT, in which the gate electrode 222, thesource electrode 223, and the drain electrode 24 are sequentiallyformed, is illustrated in FIG. 2, the exemplary embodiments are notlimited thereto. The gate electrode 222 may be disposed below the activelayer 221.

A TFT 200 a may be electrically connected to OLEDs 200 b to drive theOLEDs 200 b, and may be protected by being covered by a protective film215.

The protective film 215 may include a general-purpose polymer, such aspolymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or polystyrene (PS), a polymericderivative having a phenol-based group, an acryl-based polymer, animide-based polymer, an aryl ether-based polymer, an amide-basedpolymer, a fluorine-based polymer, a p-xylene-based polymer, a vinylalcohol-based polymer, or a mixture thereof.

The OLEDs 200 b may each include a pixel electrode 231, an intermediatelayer 232, and a counter electrode 233.

The pixel electrode 231 may be formed on the protective film 215, andmay be electrically connected to the drain electrode 224 via a contacthole 230 which is formed in the protective film 215.

The pixel electrode 231 may be a transparent (translucent) electrode ora reflective electrode. When the pixel electrode 231 is the transparent(translucent) electrode, the pixel electrode 231 may include indium tinoxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), indium oxide(In₂O₃), indium gallium oxide (IGO), or aluminum zinc oxide (AZO). Whenthe pixel electrode 231 is a reflective electrode, the pixel electrode231 may include a reflective layer including silver (Ag), magnesium(Mg), aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), gold (Au), nickel(Ni), neodymium (Nd), iridium (Ir), chromium (Cr), or a compoundthereof, and a layer including ITO, IZO, ZnO, In₂O₃, IGO, or AZO.However, the pixel electrode 231 is not limited thereto and may includevarious other materials. Also, the pixel electrode 231 may have either asingle-layer structure or a multilayer structure.

The counter electrode 233 facing the pixel electrode 231 may be atransparent (translucent) electrode or a reflective electrode. When thecounter electrode 233 is a transparent (translucent) electrode, thecounter electrode 233 may include a layer including metals having a lowwork function, such as lithium (Li), calcium (Ca), lithiumfluoride/calcium (LiF/Ca), lithium fluoride/aluminum (LiF/Al), aluminum(Al), magnesium (Mg), or a combination thereof, and a transparent(translucent) layer including ITO, IZO, ZnO, In₂O₃, or the like. Whenthe counter electrode 233 is a reflective electrode, the counterelectrode 233 may include a layer including Li, Ca, LiF/Ca, LiF/Al, Al,Mg, or a combination thereof. Structures and materials of the counterelectrode 233 are not limited thereto and may vary.

Thus, the counter electrode 233 may allow light emitted from an organicemission layer (not shown) included in the intermediate layer 232 topass through. That is, the light emitted from the organic emission layer(not shown) may be reflected directly or via the pixel electrode 231,which is a reflective electrode, and may be emitted toward the counterelectrode 233.

However, the display apparatus 1000 of the present exemplary embodimentis not limited to a top emission-type, and may instead be a bottomemission-type in which the light emitted from the organic emission layer(not shown) is emitted toward the substrate 100. In this case, the pixelelectrode 231 may be a transparent or semi-transparent electrode, andthe counter electrode 233 may be a reflective electrode. The organiclight-emitting display apparatus 1000 of the present embodiment may alsobe a dual emission-type in which light is emitted in both directions offront and bottom surfaces thereof.

A pixel-defining film 216 may be formed on the first electrode 231 as aninsulating material. The pixel-defining film 216 may include at leastone organic insulating material selected from polyimide, polyamide,acryl resin, benzocyclobutene (BCB), and phenol resin, by spin coating,or the like. The pixel-defining film 216 may expose a region of thepixel electrode 231, and the intermediate layer 232 with the organicemission layer may be located on the exposed region of the pixelelectrode 231.

The intermediate layer 232 may selectively further include a functionallayer, such as a hole transport layer (HTL), a hole injection layer(HIL), an electron transport layer (ETL), an electron injection layer(EIL), etc., in addition to the organic emission layer.

The organic emission layer (not shown) included in the intermediatelayer 232 may include a low molecular weight organic material or a highmolecular weight organic material. Examples of the low molecular weightorganic material may include copper phthalocyanine (CuPc),N,N′-Di(naphthalene-1-yl)-N,N′-diphenyl-benzidine (NPB), andtris-8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum (Alq3). Examples of the high molecularweight organic material may include a poly-phenylenevinylene (PPV)-basedmaterial and a polyfluorene-based material.

There are various methods of forming the organic emission layer. Forexample, the low molecular weight organic material or the high molecularweight organic material may be vacuum-deposited to form the organicemission layer. The organic emission layer may be formed along with thepixel electrode 231 and the counter electrode 233, and variousfunctional layers of the intermediate layer 232, or separately.Hereinafter it will be described that the organic emission layer isformed separately from an electrode layer and a functional layer forconvenience of explanation.

In order to form the organic emission layer by vacuum deposition, adeposition mask having openings corresponding to the pattern of theorganic emission layer may be used. The deposition mask may be disposedin close contact with the substrate 100 via a supporting implement, suchas a vacuum suction implement and a magnet unit. In order to align thedeposition mask with the substrate 100, the alignment mark 300 may bedisposed on a surface of the substrate 100, as shown in FIG. 1. Thealignment mark 300 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3.

The deposition mask may be a plate-shape member that has openingscorresponding to the pattern of the object to be deposited. A materialof the deposition mask may be a metal material, such as a metal of analloy, a functional polymer, or a mixture of a polymer and a metal. Theopenings of the deposition mask may penetrate the deposition mask andinclude one or more slits.

The pixel electrode 231, the intermediate layer 232, and the counterelectrode 233 may be sequentially formed, followed by sealing thesubstrate 100 and an encapsulation substrate (not shown). The method ofsealing the substrate 100 and the encapsulation substrate may includedisposing a sealing member 400 between the substrate 100 and theencapsulation substrate, and then compressing the substrate 100 and theencapsulation substrate. The encapsulation substrate may have a formsimilar to that of the substrate 100. Hereinafter, the sealing memberwill be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

FIG. 3 is a schematic enlarged view of region A illustrated in FIG. 1.FIG. 4 is a schematic enlarged view of a portion of a display apparatusaccording to another exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

For convenience of explanation, the length direction of the sealingmember 400 is indicated as the Y direction, and the width direction ofthe sealing member 400, which is perpendicular to the length direction,is indicated as the X direction.

Referring to FIG. 3, the sealing member 400 may be located on thesealing area SA, which is outside the active area AA of the substrate100. The sealing member 400 seals a display unit from outside of theactive area AA to thereby prevent impurities, such as moisture or airfrom outside, from permeating into the display unit.

For example, the sealing member 400 may include frit. The sealing member400 may be formed by forming a paste including frit at the sealing areaSA of the substrate 100, and then melting and hardening the pasteincluding the frit. The frit may include vanadium oxide (VO₂) or bismuthoxide (Bi₂O₃), and may further include various materials, such as atleast one of tellurium dioxide (TeO₂), zinc oxide (ZnO), barium oxide(BaO), niobium pentoxide (Nb₂O₅), silicon oxide (SO₂), aluminum oxide(Al₂O₃), zirconium oxide (ZrO₂), and phosphorus pentoxide (P₂O₅). Thesealing member 400 may also include fillers including various materialsto improve sealing properties.

The sealing member 400 may include a recess 411, which is concave in adirection from an edge E of the substrate 100 to the active area AA. Forconvenience of explanation, with regard to the sealing member 400, aportion where the recess 411 is located is referred to as a firstportion 401, a portion adjacent to the first portion 401 is referred toas a second portion 402, and a portion between the first portion 401 andthe second portion 402 is referred to as a third portion 403.

As shown in FIG. 3, a width W1 of the first portion 401 may be the sameas a width W2 of the second portion 402. As the sealing member 400 isfirst curved from the Y direction to the X direction, and then curvedfrom the X direction to the Y direction, a width W3 of the third portion403 connecting the first portion 401 and second portion 402 may begreater than the width W1 of the first portion 401 and the width W2 ofthe second portion 402.

When the sealing member 400 is formed in such a shape, the alignmentmark 300 for aligning the substrate 100 with a deposition mask (notshown) may be disposed between the concave recess 411 of the sealingmember 400 and the edge E of the substrate 100. Regarding the method ofpreparation, first, the substrate 100 having the alignment mark 300formed thereon at a predetermined position may be prepared. Aftercompletely forming the display unit 200 on the substrate 100, thesealing member 400 between the alignment mark 300 and the display unit200 may be formed. Accordingly, at least one portion of the alignmentmark 300 may be on the sealing area SA, thus reducing a dead space,which is unnecessary and outside the sealing area SA.

The alignment mark 300 may include a plurality of marks. For example,the alignment mark 300 may include a rod-shape first mark 301 includingtwo long sides parallel to the X direction and/or a rod-shape secondmark 302 including two long sides parallel to the Y direction. The firstmark 301 and the second mark 302 may be spaced apart. Accordingly, acentral line L1 of the first mark 301 and a central line L2 of thesecond mark 302 may be perpendicular to each other.

The alignment mark 300 may further include a third mark 303. The thirdmark 303 may be an organic material pattern for testing, which may beformed prior to or simultaneously with the formation of an organicemission layer. The third mark 303 may include a same material as thatof the organic emission layer. One or more third marks 303 may be formedfor each color pixel.

In relation to the third mark 303, by using the position relationshipbetween the first mark 301 and the second mark 302, the alignment errorbetween the substrate 100 and a deposition mask may be determined. Forexample, distance differences in the X direction and the Y direction,between the point where the central line L1 of the first mark 301intersects the central line L2 of the second mark 302 and the center ofthe third mark 303, may be defined as the alignment error between thesubstrate 100 and the deposition mask. In order to detect the alignmenterror between the substrate 100 and the deposition mask, an openingcorresponding to the third mark 303 may be formed in the depositionmask, which is an organic material pattern for testing, in addition tothe openings corresponding to the organic emission layer. The openingcorresponding to the third mark 303 may have the same size, shape, andalignment direction as the openings corresponding to the organicemission layer.

The alignment mark 300 may further include a fourth mark 304, inaddition to the first to third marks 301 to 303. The fourth mark 304 isfor verifying the alignment between the substrate 100 and measuringequipment, and may have a cross shape.

The above described plurality of marks may be disposed to be parallel tothe Y direction, which is a length direction of the sealing member 400.The plurality of marks may constitute one or more columns, which areeach perpendicular to the Y direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 3,the first mark 301 and the second mark 302 may be in different columnsand spaced apart from each other. Accordingly, several third marks 303,which are organic material patterns for testing, may be formed outsideof the active area AA.

In this regard, the position, number, shape of the plurality of marksare not limited to the described exemplary embodiments, but may varydepending on a design.

FIG. 3 illustrates that the sealing member 400 includes the recess 411,which is concave in a direction from the edge E of the substrate 100 tothe active area AA. However, the sealing member 400 may include a recessformed in the opposite direction.

Referring to FIG. 4, the sealing member 400 may include the recess 411,which is concave in a direction from the active area AA of the substrate100 to the edge E of the substrate 100. The shape of the sealing member400 may be the same as the shape of the sealing member where the sealingmember 400 illustrated in FIG. 3 is symmetrically rotated about acentral line LS of the sealing area SA. Therefore, the alignment mark300 may be disposed between the concave recess 411 of the sealing member400 and the active area AA.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic enlarged views of a portion of a displayapparatus according to still another exemplary embodiment of theinventive concept. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4,descriptions of portions that are the same or similar to the abovedescribed portions will not be repeated for convenience. The same isapplied to the following examples and modifications.

Referring to FIG. 5, the sealing member 400 may include the recess 411,which is concave in a direction from the edge E of the substrate 100 tothe active area AA. For convenience of explanation, with regard to thesealing member 400, a portion where the recess 411 is located isreferred to as the first portion 401, a portion adjacent to the firstportion 401 is referred to as the second portion 402, and a portionbetween the first portion 401 and the second portion 402 is referred toas the third portion 403.

The width W1 of the first portion 401, the width W2 of the secondportion 402, and the width W3 of the third portion 403 may be the sameas one another. In other words, the width of the sealing member 400 maybe constant along the whole length of the sealing member 400. FIG. 5sillustrates that both edges of the third portion 403 of the sealingmember 400 are curved, but the exemplary embodiments are not limitedthereto. That is, both edges of the third portion 403 may be straight.

The alignment mark 300 may be disposed between the concave recess 411 ofthe sealing member 400 and the edge E of the substrate 100. Accordingly,at least one portion of the alignment mark 300 may be disposed on thesealing area SA, helping to align the substrate 100 with a depositionmask and reduce a dead space.

FIG. 5 illustrates that the sealing member 400 includes the recess 411,which is concave in a direction from the edge E of the substrate 100 tothe active area AA. However, the sealing member 400 may include a recessformed in the opposite direction.

Referring to FIG. 6, the sealing member 400 may include the recess 411,which is concave in a direction from the active area AA of the substrate100 to the edge E of the substrate 100. The shape of the sealing member400 may be the same as that of the sealing member 400 illustrated inFIG. 5, where the sealing member 400 is symmetrically rotated about thecentral line LS of the sealing area SA. Therefore, the alignment mark300 may be disposed between the concave recess 411 of the sealing member400 and the active area AA.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic enlarged views of a portion of a displayapparatus according to still another exemplary embodiment of theinventive concept. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 6,descriptions of portions the same or similar to the above describedportions will not be repeated for convenience.

Referring to FIG. 7, the sealing member 400 may include the recess 411,which is concave in a direction from the edge E of the substrate 100 tothe active area AA. For convenience of explanation, with regard to thesealing member 400, a portion where the recess 411 is located isreferred to as the first portion 401 and a portion adjacent to the firstportion 401 is referred to as the second portion 402

The width W1 of the first portion 401 may be less than the width W2 ofthe second portion 402.

The alignment mark 300 may be disposed between the concave recess 411 ofthe sealing member 400 and the edge E of the substrate 100. In thesealing member, the edges of the first portion 401 and the secondportion 402 on a side of the active area AA may be aligned in a straightline. Accordingly, the width W1 of the first portion 401 may correspondto the difference between the width W2 of the second portion 402 and awidth W4, which is a width in the X direction of the recess 411.

Accordingly, at least one portion of the alignment mark 300 may bedisposed on the sealing area SA, helping to align the substrate 100 witha deposition mask and to reduce a dead space. Because the alignment mark300 is formed on a portion of the substrate 100, the length (in the Ydirection) of the first portion 401, which may have a decreased width ofthe sealing member 400 due to the alignment mark 300, may be much lessthan the entire length of the sealing member 400. Therefore, even if thesealing member 400 has the first portion 401, problems, such as adecrease of adhesion between the substrate 100 and an encapsulationsubstrate, may not arise.

In FIG. 7 illustrates that the sealing member 400 includes the recess411, which is concave in a direction from the edge E of the substrate100 to the active area AA. However, the sealing member 400 may include arecess formed in the opposite direction.

Referring to FIG. 8, the sealing member 400 may include the recess 411,which is concave in a direction from the active area AA of the substrate100 to the edge E of the substrate 100. The shape of the sealing member400 may be the same as that of the sealing member 400 illustrated inFIG. 7, where the sealing member 400 is symmetrically rotated about thecentral line LS of the sealing area SA. Therefore, the alignment mark300 may be disposed between the concave recess 411 of the sealing member400 and the active area AA.

As described above, the display apparatus according to an exemplaryembodiment may have increased mask position precision with regard to asubstrate, and have a decreased dead space on the substrate.

Although certain exemplary embodiments and implementations have beendescribed herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparentfrom this description. Accordingly, the inventive concept is not limitedto such embodiments, but rather to the broader scope of the presentedclaims and various obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display apparatus comprising: a substrateincluding an active area and a sealing area surrounding the active area;and a display unit disposed in the active area of the substrate, whereinthe sealing area comprises: a first sealing sub-area extending in afirst direction; a second sealing sub-area positioned at an oppositeside of the active area from the first sealing sub-area; and a thirdsealing sub-area and a fourth sealing sub-area extending in a seconddirection intersecting the first direction, wherein: the second sealingsub-area includes a sealing member comprising a first portion, a secondportion, and a third portion; the third portion is disposed between thefirst portion and the second portion and connects the first portion tothe second portion; and the third portion extends in a third directiondifferent from the first direction and the second direction.
 2. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first portion is located in acenter of the sealing member.
 3. The display apparatus of claim 1,wherein a width of the first portion is different from a width of thesecond portion.
 4. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein a width ofthe third portion is different from a width of the first portion.
 5. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first portion and the secondportion extend in the first direction.
 6. A display apparatuscomprising: a substrate including an active area and a sealing areasurrounding the active area; and a display unit disposed in the activearea of the substrate, wherein the sealing area comprises: a firstsealing sub-area extending in a first direction; a second sealingsub-area positioned at an opposite side of the active area from thefirst sealing sub-area; and a third sealing sub-area and a fourthsealing sub-area extending in a second direction intersecting the firstdirection, wherein: the second sealing sub-area includes a sealingmember comprising a first portion, a second portion, and a thirdportion; the third portion is disposed between the first portion and thesecond portion and connects the first portion to the second portion; anda width of the first portion is different from a width of the secondportion.
 7. The display apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first portionis located in a center of the second sealing member.
 8. The displayapparatus of claim 6, the third portion extends in a third directiondifferent from the first direction and the second direction.
 9. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 6, wherein a width of the third portion isdifferent from a width of the first portion.
 10. The display apparatusof claim 6, wherein the first portion and the second portion extend inthe first direction.